In Praise Of... Stephane Dion

It is not every day that Canadian politics catch the eye. But the weekend Liberal party convention in Montreal was a vintage occasion. Most political parties these days choose their leaders in membership ballots - admirably democratic but boring until the result is announced. Canada's Liberals, by contrast, still prefer the late-night wheeling and dealing of an old-fashioned North American party convention - the sort that US politics no longer dares to hold - and for four days they have just served up a classic of the genre. Eight candidates went to Montreal hoping to step into the shoes of Brian Martin, who stood down this year. Many observers tipped the former BBC presenter and human rights writer Michael Ignatieff to succeed him. Mr Ignatieff duly topped the poll in the first round on Friday but was well short of the necessary overall majority. After the first round, however, the 5,000 delegates were no longer mandated. As a result, Saturday's proceedings were a fixer's fiesta, as the remaining candidates were eliminated in three more ballots or traded their support to erstwhile rivals. When the dust finally settled, Stéphane Dion had leap-frogged from third place to become the Liberals' new leader as the anti-Ignatieff vote rallied behind him. The bright and bookish Mr Dion does not come over as the kind of machine politician who thrives in the sweaty convention atmosphere. But, after triumphing in a test of nerves like this, winning Canada's next general election should be child's play.